University of Hartford Students Illustrate Global Warming through Their Posters in New Exhibit at Trash Museum

Visual Communication Design Class Project Intended to Increase Teens’ Awareness of Global Warming

HARTFORD, Conn. –  Don’t let the water run. Turn off the lights. Enjoy your meal but minimize the amount of waste afterward.

They’re all pretty simple messages, but in the hands of students in a Visual Communication Design class at the University of Hartford, they turn into a call to action, telling us there are simple things each of us can do to combat global warming.

That call to action, and those messages, are the basis for posters created by those students and now on display at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority Trash Museum. The Trash Museum is located at 211 Murphy Road in the South Meadows section of Hartford.

According to Santanu Majumdar, assistant professor of Visual Communication Design, the students’ objective was “to increase the awareness of global warming and its impact among our high school students and future generations.” The assignment called for them to find items in the environment and use them to craft letters and messages to drive home their points. The items were photographed and made into posters.

As a result, for his poster student Chris Siharath spelled out the message “Love food HATE WASTE” with things like spaghetti, banana and orange peels, candy and a slice of pizza. Another student, Kevin DaCorte, used the absence of light in the environment to reveal a message about energy conservation.

Pamela Garry, a Trash Museum educator, and CRRA Education Supervisor Sotoria Montanari selected 12 posters out of 21 posters the students created for a permanent display at the Trash Museum.

“At the Trash Museum and our sister facility, the Garbage Museum in Stratford, we’ve been teaching these concepts since 1993,” said CRRA Education Supervisor Sotoria Montanari, who manages both museums. “But everyone learns differently, so these posters will reach some people who might not be as receptive to messages delivered differently. Professor Majundar, our own Pam Garry and the students have brought an exciting new dimension to the Trash Museum.”

Above left, a poster by Chris Siharath spells out its message with things like spaghetti, banana and orange peels, candy and a slice of pizza. Above right, Kevin DaCorte’s poster reveals a hidden message when its spotlights are turned off. Click on an image to open a larger version in a new window.

The full list of students, all juniors, whose work is on display and their hometowns:

• Kayleigh Mohr, Winsted
• Chris Siharath, East Hartford
• Aimee Rosner, Stony Brook, N.Y.
• Lana Orin, Bronx, N.Y.
• Jonathan Eckels, Wallingford
• Carol Black, Hartford
• Ethan Kociela, Montague, Mass.
• Gregory Walters, Hartford
• Sergio Barrera, Old Saybrook
• Amanda Webster, Woodbury
• Amy Huston, Newington
• Kevin DaCorte, Guilford

More pictures of their work can be seen on the Trash Museum’s Facebook page.

The Trash Museum is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. In July and August, the museum is also open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, or to arrange a group tour (required for groups of more than five visitors), call the Trash Museum at 860-757-7765.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for – and in – the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut. CRRA’s new board of directors and new management team develop and implement environmentally sound solutions and best practices for solid waste disposal and recycling management on behalf of municipalities. CRRA serves more than 100 Connecticut cities and towns. CRRA also runs sustainability education programs through the Trash Museum in Hartford and Garbage Museum in Stratford. Computer users can also discuss CRRA at its blog, http://crra-blog.blogspot.com.